Top 100 British breaks | The Guardianhttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/top100britishbreaks
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20 top rural escapes in the UKhttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2008/jul/12/shortbreaks.uk4
Remoteness in Britain may be under threat but it hasn't disappeared, says Robert Macfarlane. In fact, it can be surprisingly close at hand<p>Time and again, remoteness has been declared dead in Britain. &quot;There is no forest or fell to escape to today, no cave in which to curl up, and no deserted valley,&quot; mourned EM Forster in 1964. AA Gill put it less politely: &quot;Tourism has subjected Britain to a cream-tea enema.&quot;</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2008/jul/12/shortbreaks.uk4">Continue reading...</a>Short breaksUnited KingdomWalking holidaysDorsetDevonCampingTravelSelf-cateringHotelsBerkshireKentSuffolkInvernessScotlandWalesTop 100 British breaksHealth and fitnessFri, 11 Jul 2008 23:01:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2008/jul/12/shortbreaks.uk4PRStorybook stuff ... Somerton Mill in OxfordshirePRSomerton MillGuardian Staff2008-07-11T23:01:00Z10 top UK adventure holidayshttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2008/jul/12/shortbreaks.uk1
From a coast-to-coast cycle ride to paddling down the Severn – 10 ideas to get the heart racing and blood pumping<p>&quot;One should always have a definite objective in a walk; as in life, it is so much more satisfying to reach a target by personal effort than to wander aimlessly,&quot; wrote Alfred Wainwright in the introduction to his famous A Coast to Coast Walk. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2008/jul/12/shortbreaks.uk1">Continue reading...</a>Short breaksUnited KingdomCycling holidaysLake DistrictYorkshireTravelSailing holidaysAdventure travelWalking holidaysWalesDivingCanoeing and kayakingHorse ridingSelf-cateringClimbing holidaysTop 100 British breaksHealth and fitnessFri, 11 Jul 2008 23:01:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2008/jul/12/shortbreaks.uk1CorbisWish you were here? ... diving at Scapa Flow in the Orkneys. Photographer: Lawson Wood/CorbisCorbisDiving Scapa Flow. Photographer: Lawson Wood/CorbisGuardian Staff2008-07-11T23:01:00Z10 top UK green breakshttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2008/jul/12/green.shortbreaks
A host of restored farm buildings, chip oil-powered vehicles and waste wood boilers - Britain is an increasingly green and pleasant land<p>On the train south Maddy said, &quot;Let's pretend you're the daddy, I'm the daughter, and we've got a dog with us.&quot;</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2008/jul/12/green.shortbreaks">Continue reading...</a>Green travelShort breaksFamily holidaysUnited KingdomTravelTop 100 British breaksFri, 11 Jul 2008 23:01:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2008/jul/12/green.shortbreaksCorbisUnder the greenwood tree ... the New Forest. Photograph: Dave PorterGuardianNew Forest. Dave PorterGuardian Staff2008-07-11T23:01:00Z10 top UK coastal holidayshttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2008/jul/12/shortbreaks.uk
It's not all knotted handkerchiefs and deckchairs on Britain's coastline – Blue Flag beaches and hip hotels abound. Written by Lesley Gillilan, Rhiannon Batten, Dixe Wills, Clare Gogerty, Teri Grenert, Ian Belcher, Laura Burgess and David Atkinson<p>Back in the 70s, long before the invention of the majestic Hyacinth Bucket, there arrived on our prim, pre-Wimpey housing estate a new neighbour, Mrs. Maricarm&eacute;. It took a few weeks to rumble her; she was really called Mrs Morecambe, but preferred to distance herself from both the popular comedian and the tacky northern holiday town from which he took his name. But Morecambe has been leading a quiet renaissance of late, with the north-west coastal towns of Southport and Blackpool similarly expressing a new found brio in the form of recently opened luxury hotels.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2008/jul/12/shortbreaks.uk">Continue reading...</a>Short breaksUnited KingdomBeach holidaysFamily holidaysHotelsHeritageRest and relaxationWalking holidaysWeekend breaksWalesFestivalsCampingCornwallTravelScotlandSelf-cateringCanoeing and kayakingTop 100 British breaksHealth and fitnessFri, 11 Jul 2008 23:01:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2008/jul/12/shortbreaks.ukPRCool coast ... the revamped Midland hotel in MorecambePRMidland hotel. PRGuardian Staff2008-07-11T23:01:00Z10 best ways to camphttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2008/jul/12/shortbreaks.camping
Forget broken poles and missing tent pegs, today's campers are doing it in tipis, yurts, VW vans and even castles – outdoor living has never been more fun<p>There is a bed of fragrant flowers on either side of our Cornish pitch, and a carpet of daisies underfoot, but the first thing I notice is the kitchen. Not that I'm big on kitchens, but I just wasn't expecting anything this good. There is a proper work surface, vinyl flooring, a full-size fridge, a shelf of mugs and wine glasses. There's even a dining table and four chairs. The cooker is a two-ring gas hob with a mini grill but no sink - this is camping, after all.</p><p>We are staying in one of three self-contained camps set out on the terraced lawns of Dave and Laura Rothwell's large garden at Owls Gate near Davidstow Moor. Aside from our personal kitchen tent, we have two detached bedroom tents - one double, one twin, both furnished with carpet and proper beds. We have a little garden in the middle, a picnic table and sunshade, a barbecue and a standpipe - more or less everything you get in a self-catering cottage, except the cottage.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2008/jul/12/shortbreaks.camping">Continue reading...</a>Short breaksCampingCornwallDevonIsle of WightScotlandUnited KingdomTravelTop 100 British breaksFri, 11 Jul 2008 23:01:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2008/jul/12/shortbreaks.campingPRJamboree ... stay snug in a mini big-top in CornwallPRBelle tentsGuardian Staff2008-07-11T23:01:00Z10 top UK city breakshttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2008/jul/12/shortbreaks.uk3
From the Eisteddfod to the Edinburgh Arts Festival, this summer is jam packed with cultural delights<p>The European Capital of Culture continues to boast a seemingly endless array of activities. Next week's Tall Ships' Races (<a href="http://www.tallshipsliverpool.co.uk">tallshipsliverpool.co.uk</a>, July 18-21) should be an impressive spectacle with 70-odd international vessels. Quayside events kick off at Wellington Dock and lead up to the Parade of Sail down the Mersey. Next month, things brighten up with the carnival weekend parade (Aug 2) and Imagine festival for kids (Aug 1-10), featuring a firework folk story in Newsham Park, and Sensazione, a theatrical performing fairground. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2008/jul/12/shortbreaks.uk3">Continue reading...</a>Short breaksUnited KingdomLiverpoolManchesterCambridgeBristolNewcastleCardiffBrightonEdinburghTravelLondonBelfastCultural tripsFestivalsTop 100 British breaksCity breaksFri, 11 Jul 2008 23:01:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2008/jul/12/shortbreaks.uk3GuardianTokyo Picnic Club ... part of Newcastle’s East08 celebrationsGuardianTokyo Picnic ClubGuardian Staff2008-07-11T23:01:00Z10 top UK food holidayshttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2008/jul/12/shortbreaks.travelfoodanddrink
Isabel Choat visits a country inn that's had a gastro makeover and chef Arthur Potts Dawson chooses his favourite haunts<p>'One deep fried pig's head, please. To share.&quot; Nothing could sum up The Olde Bell better than our starter last Saturday. Chef Tony Abarno's food is hearty and simple but comes with a modern twist, perfect given the setting - a medieval pub newly made over by Ilse Crawford, the designer behind Babington House. The pig's head did not, as I'd feared, come whole on a platter, but as croquettes of tender meat with a dollop of tarragon mayonnaise. It may sound like the sort of dish you'd expect from a 12th rather than a 21st century pub (indeed the Olde Bell dates back to 1135), but it was tasty and surprisingly light. </p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2008/jul/12/shortbreaks.travelfoodanddrink">Continue reading...</a>Short breaksFood and drinkHotelsBerkshireDorsetKentCornwallCardiffUnited KingdomTravelTop 100 British breaksFri, 11 Jul 2008 23:01:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2008/jul/12/shortbreaks.travelfoodanddrinkPRThe Olde Bell ... 'I recommend the pig's head to start'PRThe Old BellGuardian Staff2008-07-11T23:01:00Z10 places to go before it's too latehttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2008/jul/12/shortbreaks.uk5
As wildlife disappears and the coastline changes, this may be your last chance to experience some of these beautiful British sites<p>It's from the top of Horsey Mill that the problem becomes all too apparent. This is country you could iron a shirt on, where the green of the fields lies as flat as the blue of the meres. Far-flung church towers stick out like the last few remaining bristles in an ancient toothbrush. Even the ridge of dunes along the coast would have struggled to trouble the cartographers had they not been artificially raised. And the land those dunes protect looks suspiciously lower than the waves that rage at its door.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2008/jul/12/shortbreaks.uk5">Continue reading...</a>Short breaksUnited KingdomCampingEssexWalesTravelTop 100 British breaksFri, 11 Jul 2008 23:01:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2008/jul/12/shortbreaks.uk5National TrustHorsey mill in East Anglia. Photograph: National TrustNational TrustHorsey drainage pump. National TrustGuardian Staff2008-07-11T23:01:00Z10 top UK activity holidayshttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2008/jul/12/shortbreaks.uk2
Fancy a night stargazing? Or learning to round up sheep? Maybe whisky distilling is more your thing. Here's 10 ideas to get you started<p>Cottages4you has joined forces with UK charity the Shark Trust to launch the first British Beachcombing Weekend (<a href="http://www.sharktrust.org">sharktrust.org</a>) on July 25-27, encouraging us to search the high-water mark for interesting items washed up by the sea. The Appleloft, a two-bedroom manor house on the Webbery Manor Estate close to the market towns of Bideford and Barnstaple, is an ideal base for exploring Westward Ho! beach six miles away. Beachcombing as part of the Shark Trust's survey of nursery grounds will help the charity to formulate new conservation strategies.</p> <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2008/jul/12/shortbreaks.uk2">Continue reading...</a>Short breaksUnited KingdomBeach holidaysSelf-cateringDevonFood and drinkHeritageCultural tripsWalesTravelTop 100 British breaksFri, 11 Jul 2008 23:01:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/travel/2008/jul/12/shortbreaks.uk2AlamyReflective weekend ... Beachcombing at Westward Ho! DevonAlamyBeachcombing at Westward Ho! Devon. Photograph: AlamyGuardian Staff2008-07-11T23:01:00Z